There have always been Jewish communities in Africa and since the advent of the internet, more groups have become more widely known. These deeply rooted Jewish communities partake in religious practices which were previously outlawed by European colonizers (such as male circumcision, Saturday Sabbath, menstrual seclusion, etc.), as well as customs such as animal sacrifice, which are no longer practiced in Rabbinic Judaism. Many members of these groups have thought themselves to be descendants from the Lost Tribes – the Ten Tribes of Israel which were supposedly exiled from Israel in 722 BCE. European colonizers and missionaries believed such groups to be part of these tribes because, according to the Old Testament in the Bible, only Jews performed these practices.

Starting this fall semester, Modern Greek will once again be taught at the University of Utah. One of the beginner Modern Greek classes will be taught by Pagona Tsoutsounis. Tsoutsounis has been teaching adult Greek classes at the Greek Orthodox church for several years and is excited to start teaching students at the U.

“Dozens of French teachers leave each year for this American state to take part in its ambitious policy of bilingual classes.”